Formal features as a design factor of video segments in interactive video programmes

Video segments may be characterized by formal design features with respect to factors such as complexity of narration, mutual influence of picture and sound, use of superimposed texts, information load due to technical terms, and animation. The paper suggests ways to operationalize these factors and reports about an experiment in which the influence of these formal features was studied with respect to perceived information load of video segments by learners. The length of a segment was thereby counted as the number of information elements it contains. An information element is defined as one uninterrupted statement of the narrator about which one factual question can be presented. The experiment was carried out by using an experimental videodisc programme about cheesemaking that contains 252 information elements which form a connected discourse of 36 min if the programme is played linearly without stopping. Subjects had the task to divide this programme into segments by deciding for themselves how often they would stop before completing the programme. At every stopping place, the subjects were questioned about the content of the just completed segment.\ud \ud The results of the experiment suggest that: (a) subjects tend to perceive narrated sentences as one whole, regardless of the number of facts implied, (b) content-related technical terms seem not to determine difficulty level, (c) superimposed texts show a trend to help subjects who prefer short segments to choose longer segments and subjects who prefer long segments to choose shorter segments, (d) animation is positively (but moderately) correlated with mean self-chosen segment length

The Interactive orientation module for the electronic archive resource of the National Graphic Design Archive

None provided

The Descriptive Challenges of Fiber Art

published or submitted for publicatio

The Development of an Interactive Videodisc System

The thesis traces the development of interactive videodisc from origins based on early automatic machines through large-scale computer assisted learning (CAL) to microcomputer-based multi-media CAL. A comprehensive discussion of the interactive videodisc medium is provided, in terms of its features, advantages, problems, authoring and production processes, and educational applications. The requirements for interactive systems, and essential elements of video and videodisc technology are described. A relatively low-cost demonstration interactive videodisc system is developed in three phases, based on a BBC 'B' microcomputer and a Pioneer LD1100 videodisc player. In the first phase, software interfacing routines are developed in assembly language to control the player from the versatile interface adaptor (VIA) of the BBC micro. The signal control codes are based on a pulse code modulated format with uni-directional synchronous transmission. The interfacing routines are linked to, and driven by, a Basic program which provides full manual control of all player functions using the microcomputer keyboard. In the second phase, the interfacing routines are further extended to provide control linkage for interactive video application programs. Using a pilot videodisc, these Basic programs demonstrate interactive video techniques, including still frame access and the presentation of video sequences and sub-sequences. In the third phase, the application programs are converted to the authoring language, Microtext. The assembly language interfacing routines are developed into a corresponding Microtext extension command module. A mixer/genlock unit is used to provide graphics overlay of video still frames. An evaluation of the demonstration system is provided, in terms of developmental difficulties, its hardware and software features and capabilities, and its potential as a base for further suggested research work